Life-saving belt.



No. 651,347. Patented Nov. 6, |900. H. LNING.

LIFE SAVING BELT.

(Application filed Feb. 19, 1900.)

(No Modell) 'at Hamburg,

UNITEDv STATES PATENT Ormea.

LIFE-sAvi'Nef/BELT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.

661,347; dined' myembef 6.1900.

Application inea February 19. i900. Serin no. 5,804."" n'mdai5f To all whom it may con/cern..-

Beit known that LHEIN RICH LNXN G, mate, a vsubject ofthe German Emperor, residing Steinstrasse 110, in the German Empire, have invented new and useful Iniprovements in and Relating to Life-Saving Belts, of which the following is aspecication.'

This invention relates to a life-belt designed for saving the lives of persons from drowning. The improved life-saving belt is intended to be constantly Worn by persons duringa sea voyage; but the belt, which is of a material adapte for inflation, is ordinarily deflated and w rh in a flat condition. At the moment of danger the improved belt is indat-ed by admitting a compressed gas thereto through a suitable valve. In this manner the belt, which is ordinarily Worn around the waist over the clothes, is inliated, and in order to enable the inflated Vbelt to be moved upward under the arms provision is made to allow of enlarging the belt by so manufacturing the protecting-cover thereof, which latter is made of inextensihle fabric, as to permit of its being unfastened in a delinite manner, and thus lengthened.

' The invention is clearly shown in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figurel is a plan of the improved life-saving belt; Fig. 2 shows the manner of attaching the belt to the user, inclosing the oarbonic-acid cylinder. Fig. 3 shows the means for extending the length of the protective cover. Fig. e is a side elevation of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows a section through the casing. Fig, 6 is a plan of the same, and Fig. 7 is a ,cross-section of the closing device for the casing.

The lifesaving-belt is made in the manner adapted for pneumatic tires, and it consists of an air-tube and a protecting-tube or outer cover. The reduced ends of the air-tube a are drawn over the' tubular parts or sockets b of a casing cof oval cross-section, and they are secured so as to be air-tight by Wiring d or by any other appropriate means. The correspondingly-formed protectingtubel e has its extremities arranged so as to be in contact with the casing c, and at one end it has fixed to it an internal band or strip f, which is firmly fixed to the casing c. At the other end the covering-tube is arranged in plaits or folds g, bellows fashion,'and` the end f' of the internal bandl or strip fis left unconnected with the cover at the plaited portion of the latter, Yand its. extremity protruding froinrthe cover is furnished with an 'eye h. This eye is engaged in a hook 'i of a lever'j. The said lever j, Figs. 3, et, and 5, is twoarmed and is fulcrumed to-lngs K, provided at the side of the casing c W body.y The lower lever-ammil, ined with va hook z', engages the eye h and presses against the casing, so as to retain the eye h, While the upper arm of the lever is forced outward nearest the by a tongue-piece l., projecting beyond the side of the casing, 'and thereby preventing the eye 7L bein g accidentally released from the hook fi.

'The easing c contains inder m, which is secured to the bottom of the casing by means of a bayonet-lock n. The 'cylinder-head m' is provided with a nonretnrn valve o. The valve is seated in the top covero of `the cylinder, secu red by screwing and rendered tight by means of a Washer The cover p is formed with a box-shaped extension fr, having internal screw-threads, servingforillingthe cylinderand formed with a squarecross-section. Around the said boxshaped extension r there isditted another downwardly-projecting portion s' of the top covers of the c asin g o, having a square-shaped interior to iit the. square section of fr. The portion s' is shown in cross-section in Fig. 7

rand it has cutout portions s2 extending the entire length of the part s'. In this-center of the square-shaped interior there is a pin i, engaging the stem o' of the valve-cone o. The

. disk-shaped cover s is rendered tight by a rubber washer 3*. It is provided with an np- Wardly-projectingpin u, upon which is mounted the eye l' oi the tongnepiece I. and also a handle fn, which are -fixed in position so :is to be prevented from turning by lncnns oi' a screw or other convenient means. The diskshaped cover s is prevented from being removed from the easing fby n serrw-cap fl. About the middle of the height of thornsing c the sockets are located :it opposite sides thereof. The lifo-sm'ing bolt is to be worn around the waist during` the sra voyage. Should the wearer ol' the belt fall overboard or should nn accident happen lo the a carbonio acid cyl-#77::

2o Th boat, he need only turn the handle. This turning causes the coverp of the carbonicacid cylinder m to be unscrewed by the head s, Fig. 5. As the stem oof the valve-cone o rests against the central pin. t, it will be evident that the compressed carbonic-acid gas can esuapebet-ween the valve and its seat, 'whereupon it passes through the opening s2 into the interior of the casing c, and thence through the sockets b into the air-tube. The air-tube thus becomes inflated, and in order to enable the protecting-cover e to participate in the extending motion of the belt its plaitingsvg are released by disconnecting the band or strip. Byturning the handle@ the tonguepiece Z'is moved sidewise of the upper arm of the leverj and enables the lower arm to release the eye h, so that now the band or strip 'permits the extension of the plaitings g. is renders the life-saving belt large enough to allow it slipping upward under the arms of the person and so support him safely. If by accident the belt has been inflated, it may be restored to its former condition and size by therewith the top cover s, so as to allow the carbonic acid to escape. A fresh cylinderm, filled with compressed carbonio acid, is then inserted, and finally the top-cover s and han- Into the end of the leverj, so as to secure the hook 't in position until the belt is once morere` quired for use.

'What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-` 1. In a life-saving device, the combination of' an inflatable tube having an extensible cover, of a casinar connected with `said tube, a gas-container in said casing, and means for releasing the gas from said container.

2. In a life-saving device, the combination of an in fiatable tube having an extensible cover, of the internal bandf, means for secu ring same, and means for infatig said tube, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HEINRICH LNING, 

